Butter-fingered gunman runs off empty-handed

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SAN DIEGO — A man pointed a pistol at an office clerk at a South Bay swap meet Wednesday and grabbed a briefcase from a desk, but he dropped it and fled empty-handed after spotting a passing security guard, authorities said.

The robber, who wore a scarf over his lower face, confronted the worker shortly before 11 a.m. on the grounds of the South Bay Drive-In on Coronado Avenue in Nestor, according to San Diego police.

The man was described as in his 30s with a thin build, wearing sunglasses, gray pants and a gray sweater, said SDPD Officer Gerry Waclawek.